Prophylactic antibiotic in elective gynaecological and obstetrical major surgery.

A prospective controlled study of 580 patients who underwent non-radical major gynaecological or obstetrical surgery examined the use of prophylactic antibiotics. The test group of patients (290) showed a significantly lower (P=0.01) incidence of the total complications and the non-infective complication rate as against those among controls (290). The duration of hospitalisation was significantly reduced for both vaginal and abdominal surgery in the test group of patients as against those in the controls. There was no evidence of increased incidence of bacterial resistance or superinfection. The authors recommend the use of prophylactic antibiotic on a short term basis (for a total duration of 4 days), commencing preoperatively to achieve a significant reduction in the infective postoperative morbidity and a shorter stay by the patients.